Congress Makes Decision on Military Bonus Payback

The House and Senate have agreed to give debt relief to the California Guardsmen and other troops relief from a bonus payback. These bonuses were paid for incentive to deploye to combat areas. It appears that the guardsmen were islead by over motivated recruiters. The Pentagon and IRS wanted it all back years after the fact. That will not happen now.

As Written By Military Times:

House and Senate negotiators have agreed not to require thousands of California National Guard troops to repay enlistment bonuses a decade after they signed up to serve in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The Pentagon had demanded the money back after audits revealed overpayments by the Guard under pressure to fill ranks and hit enlistment goals. But a provision in the annual defense policy bill being filed Wednesday requires the Pentagon to waive the recoupment of a bonus unless there is evidence showing service members “knew or reasonably should have known” that they weren’t eligible to receive the money.

A vote in the House on the must-pass defense bill is expected by Friday, followed by action in the Senate next week.The Guard offered enlistment bonuses of as much as $15,000 and student loan aid at the height of the two wars in the 2000s.Members of the California congressional delegation and veterans leaders had expressed outrage over a decision to force troops who had served overseas to return money when they fault lay with military recruiters…..